


Connection

by Lefaym



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-18
Updated: 2009-11-18
Packaged: 2017-10-08 03:02:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/72016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lefaym/pseuds/Lefaym
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Missing scene from 2x08, Sins of the Father: After their conversation by the campfire, Merlin finds an unusually vulnerable Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Connection

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to 51stCenturyFox and fera_festiva at LJ for betaing.

Merlin waits a few minutes after Arthur disappears inside their tent. He stares into the dying fire until he thinks that Arthur's had enough time to gather himself together, and then he shovels dirt over the embers until they cease to glow. He only considers using magic for the briefest of moments; it's not the fear of being caught that stops him so much as the feeling that it would be wrong, somehow, to repay Arthur's honesty by exploiting the one secret he still can't share.

He brushes the earth from his hands as he turns away from the fire-pit, and steps into the tent as quietly as he can. Merlin is surprised to find that Arthur has removed his mail shirt without waiting for assistance; he's even managed to lay it out neatly beside his boots, instead of leaving it in a crumpled heap. Arthur himself is lying on his side, facing the sloping wall, but he turns his head slightly as Merlin enters.

Merlin waits a moment, half-expecting an acerbic remark, but Arthur says nothing, so Merlin lowers himself to the calf-skins that line the floor of the tent and stretches himself out beside Arthur. He can hear Arthur's breathing, slow and even, and suddenly, Merlin isn't sure what to do next.

Normally, they would come together—well, not roughly exactly, but not gently either. They'd be fast and raw with each other, using their bodies to express their relief after another close escape from death, or to distract themselves from the battles that lay ahead. Any affection between them would be brief; the odd soft touch amongst thrusts and grunts—a hand to the face before their lips bruised each other, fingers trailing along a thigh before digging into flesh.

But today Arthur shows no sign of reaching out to Merlin for quick, mindless release. Instead, as Merlin settles beside him, Arthur shifts backwards slightly, until there is barely an inch of space between them. Instinctively, Merlin turns onto his own side, so that his posture mimics Arthur's. He doesn't need magic to sense that this is the closest Arthur will ever come to asking for intimacy that extends beyond their usual frantic coupling.

Still, Merlin hesitates briefly, afraid that he's about to cross some boundary that shouldn't be crossed between them, before he leans in and presses mouth softly against the back of Arthur's neck. When he feels Arthur stiffen for a moment, Merlin fears that he's done the wrong thing, but then an almost inaudible sigh escapes Arthur's lips, and he relaxes against the length of Merlin's body.

Encouraged, Merlin raises a hand to Arthur's shoulder, and shifts his position slightly, so that his tongue can tease at the sensitive skin just beneath Arthur's ear. Arthur rewards him with a moan, and Merlin responds by pushing Arthur gently onto his back. Arthur looks up at him then, and for one moment he seems almost vulnerable.

Merlin lowers his head and kisses Arthur long and slow, and he wonders suddenly why he's never before realised how absolutely soft Arthur's mouth is. Arthur's lips part easily beneath Merlin's own, and Merlin shifts again, so that he's lying on top of Arthur. His hands find their way beneath Arthur's shirt, running across firm muscle and downy hair. Merlin lifts Arthur's shirt over his head, and then catches one of Arthur's nipples lightly with his teeth, before focusing his attention on the skin just above Arthur's clavicles.

Arthur grips Merlin's shoulders tightly before he runs his fingers lightly down the length of Merlin's arms. Merlin isn't exactly surprised when Arthur begins to unlace his breeches, but he can't help but gasp anyway, when he feels Arthur's hand close around his cock. It's slightly awkward when their hands become tangled, as Merlin tries to unlace Arthur's breeches in turn, but they sort it out somehow, and Merlin even manages to lose his own shirt in the process. And then it's all flesh against flesh, mouth against mouth, hot skin and cool air, low moans and soft murmurs of encouragement.

They both move slowly at first, and even when their pace quickens, there's nothing rushed about it. When Arthur comes between Merlin's thighs, it seems like it's going to last forever, and after that it isn't long before Merlin feels himself shudder against Arthur, his skin breaking out into goose-bumps as he finds release.

Merlin holds a hand softly against Arthur's cheek as their breathing slows, and he thinks how easy it would be, right now, to tell Arthur everything. But he knows that it's still too dangerous, that Arthur isn't likely to understand, at least not yet, so he turns away and hunts through his knapsack for a cloth they can use to clean themselves up.

When they're clean, Merlin lies down on his back and closes his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts. He hears Arthur shift besides him, and then, for just a second, Merlin feels a strong calloused hand close gently around his wrist, as Arthur mumbles something that might be a goodnight.

Merlin can still feel the soft impression of Arthur's fingers on his skin as he drifts, smiling, into sleep.


End file.
